


A Fairytale Love

by angelsfalling16



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, SnowBaz, and he takes care of orphaned children, and it's all just a story, but he has a secret (or two), but there is some cute snowbaz stuff sprinkled in, like an actual dragon, simon is a dragon, this one is hard to tag, told by Penny to her kids, uhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-08-01 18:59:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsfalling16/pseuds/angelsfalling16
Summary: Penelope tells a bedtime story to her children about a dragon named Simon and a boy named Baz.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this Tumblr post: https://angelsfalling16.tumblr.com/post/179030449205/fandomdiabetes-butterflyinthewell
> 
> And thanks to everyone on the discord who sent this post and talked about it with me. I'm sorry it took me over two months to actually write it, though!

_“Mommy, will you tell us a bedtime story?” Penny’s son asks._

_“Just one. What do you want it to be about tonight?”_

_“Oh, oh,” her daughter says excitedly. “Tell us about Baz and Simon again? We love those stories!”_

_“Alright. I have a new one for you.” Penny’s heart warms at the smiles on her children’s faces._

_“There once was a dragon, but this wasn’t any ordinary dragon….”_

This dragon was different from all of the other dragons that you have ever heard or read about. He was big and ferocious looking, but he was the most kind-hearted dragon that you would ever meet. While most of his body looked like that of a dragon, his tail was a bit odd. It was not spiky or scaly. In fact, it looked more like a carton devil tail than anything else.

Most people feared this scary looking dragon. They ran in fright if they happened upon his cave, and they stayed away. No one ever tried to get to know him. They only saw a dragon that was much bigger than them and that they thought would hurt them if they got too close. No one ever visited him, and this made him lonely.

One of the great things about this mysterious dragon was that it took in orphaned children and kept them safe until they were old enough to go off on their own. It didn’t matter whether they had been kicked out or had run away or had been abandoned; the dragon cared for them all. There were usually only one or two kids with him at a time, and once they had left, he was all alone again.

The dragon had a secret, though. It was a secret that he was afraid to show people because they were already afraid of him. What would they do if they knew the truth? So, he decided to keep it a secret forever.

And no one ever knew the truth about him. That is, no one ever knew until one boy came to his cave one day.

This boy had run away from home. Or maybe he had been kicked out. The dragon was not completely sure, but he wasn’t going to make the boy tell him if he didn’t want to talk about it. The boy had dark hair that fell to his chin and was always in his face. He tried to slick it back, but it never stayed that way for long. The dragon liked it better down anyway.

The boy was apprehensive about staying with the dragon at first, but he didn’t have anywhere else that he could go, so he stayed. He slept inside the dark cave with the dragon even though he tried to keep as much distant between them as possible. Eventually, as the nights grew colder, he moved closer and closer to the dragon until he was eventually using one of the dragon’s wings for warmth.

The dragon did not try to speak to the boy for the first few days that he was there because he was afraid that he would scare the boy off. He looked so shaken and alone when he arrived, and the dragon did not want to make that worse.

He wondered to himself where this boy had come from. How could anyone not be missing this boy? Where was this boy’s family?

The fact that the dragon could talk was not his big secret. He did not reveal his secret yet, not until he knew for sure that the boy would not run away when he found out the truth.

 

_“Wait,” Penny’s daughter interrupts. “Is the boy Baz?”_

_“Of course, it is,” the girl’s brother says. “Is the dragon’s secret that he is in love with the boy? Is that why he’s afraid to tell him the truth?”_

_Penny smiles at her children. “Now, now. I can’t tell you that yet. You’ll have to wait and find out.”_

_The little girl crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, but neither of them said another word, so Penny continued on with the story._

 

Anyway, the dragon couldn’t talk exactly, but he was able to project his thoughts into the heads of the people around him. The boy freaked out at first and began to yell at the dragon for invading his privacy. He thought that the dragon could read his thoughts, but that wasn’t true. The dragon worried that the boy would run at this point. He looked so angry.

After testing the dragon a few times, he was content with the knowledge that the dragon really couldn’t read his mind. He was wary of the dragon for a while, but he found that he liked being able to communicate with him. He began to see the dragon as a friend, and he started to feel less lonely.

He had a companion. One that wouldn’t judge him for who he was. The dragon wouldn’t look at him with disgust if he were to find out the truth about him. The boy now had somewhere that he didn’t have to feel like an outcast. He could be himself without fear of someone judging him and pushing him away.

 _What’s your name?_ The dragon asked him one day as they sat out on a hill, watching the sunset.

The boy was leaning against the dragon’s side, and he spun a wild flower between his fingers as he said, “Baz.” He waited a beat before saying. “What’s your name? Do you have one?”

_One child started calling me Simon a long time ago, and it just kind of stuck. I like it, though._

“Did your parents not name you?”

 _I-I don’t know,_ Simon admitted. _They left me when I was little. I don’t even know who they are._

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

_It’s okay. You have nothing to apologize for._

“Is that why you take care of wandering children?” Baz asked him. “Because you were once like them?”

 _I suppose so. In a way, I am_ still _like them._

“What do you mean?” Baz asked sitting up and turning to look at the dragon’s face. The dragon’s eyes were a strange shade of blue, not the color that Baz would have imagined a dragon to have.

 _I am afraid that I am not as old as you might think I am_ , the dragon told him, looking up at the darkening sky.

“What are you talking about? How old are you?” Baz asked, realizing too late how rude he might sound.

Simon huffed before saying, _why don’t I just show you?_

“Show me?” Baz asked, confused.

 _Just promise me that you won’t run away_ , Simon said quietly. This was the dragon’s biggest secret, and he was afraid to tell Baz even though he trusted him more than he had ever trusted anyone before.

Baz nodded but didn’t say anything. What was the dragon about to show him? Baz wondered if he should run away now before the dragon could do anything, but he stayed. He had to know the truth before he could consider actually leaving. What was the dragon hiding from him?

The air around the dragon began to shimmer, and his body seemed to be melting. No, not melting. Changing. Simon was changing. He was starting to look less like a dragon and more like a… human?

Simon was turning into a human right in front of Baz’ eyes. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t understand. How was Simon able to do that?

As the air stilled, Baz realized that Simon hadn’t completely turned into a human. He still had his wings and the ridiculous tail, and his skin seemed to glisten in the dying sunlight, like his scales did. The dragon boy standing in front of Baz was startlingly beautiful, and it rendered him speechless.

Baz stared at the golden curls that sat in a mess atop the boy’s head. Where did that colored hair come from, and why did the boy remind Baz so much of the sun? Baz let his eyes drift down from the curly hair to the smooth chest to the—oh. The boy was not wearing any clothes.

Baz quickly looked away and pressed his lips together in a tight line. Simon took this the wrong way, thinking that Baz was disgusted with him.

 _I’m sorry. You hate me now, don’t you?_ Simon said, looking away from Baz. _You don’t have to stay with me. You can go. I just wanted you to know the truth._

“No, I don’t hate you.”

 _Then, why won’t you look at me?_ The dragon boy asked.

“Uh, you aren’t wearing any clothes,” Baz said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the ground.

_Oh, I see. You think I should wear some clothes?_

“Yes, that would probably be best.

_I don’t have any clothes, though._

“What do you usually wear when you… change forms?”

 _Well, I don’t usually do this, especially when other people are around,_ Simon admits, kicking at the ground.

“Oh,” Baz says quietly. “You can wear something of mine.”

 _I can just change back into a dragon if this makes you uncomfortable_ , Simon says solemnly.

“No,” Baz says too quickly. He looks back at Simon, careful to keep his eyes on his face. “I mean, I like seeing you like this. I just, uh, would prefer it if you at least wore some pants.”

Simon smiled at him, glad that Baz wasn’t telling him that he wanted him to change back. Simon agreed and walked back to the cave to put on a pair of Baz’ pants. His steps were wobbly at first as he got used to being on two legs like that again, but it didn’t take him long to get used to it.

Simon’s tail slid magically through the pants, so it wasn’t bothersome and didn’t ruin any of Baz’ few clothes like Simon worried that they would.

 _So, you don’t hate me?_ Simon asked as he emerged from the cave.

Baz stared at him confused for a moment. “Why would I hate you?”

 _Because I’m a freak_ , Simon said quietly.

“No, you’re not. You’re a dragon but also a person. That makes you seem pretty cool to me.” Baz didn’t mention anything about how handsome he thought the boy was. He was trying really hard not to stare at the other boy’s chest, too. He probably should have insisted that Simon wear a shirt, but he didn’t want to push him too far into doing something that he didn’t want to.

 _Really?_ Simon asked, moving closer to Baz. _You don’t think I’m weird?_

“Of course not,” Baz said, smiling. “You’re pretty amazing actually.”

Simon moved so that he was only about a foot away from Baz, and Baz could see that his cheeks were a slight shade of red.

“Do you have any other secrets that I should know about?” Baz asked, trying to change topics.

 _I have one more, but that will have to wait for another day_ , the dragon boy told him.

 

_“Alright, kiddos, it is time for bed,” Penny says._

_“But, mom,” the little boy whines. “You have to finish the story.”_

_“Not tonight, sweetie. It’s late, and you need to get some rest. Look at your sister. She can hardly keep her eyes open.”_

_“I’m not tired!” The girl says stubbornly, opening her eyes up wide, but they start to droop shut almost immediately._

_“We’ll finish the story tomorrow night, okay?” Penny assures them._

_Her two kids groan but agree. Penny kisses them goodnight, and they both fall asleep before she even leaves the room._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to be honest, for all intents and purposes, I abandoned this fic about two days after posting part one. I even almost deleted it a while back, but @pixiecodesnowbaz on Tumblr asked me not to. Then, yesterday someone commented on it asking me if I was going to finish it, so for both of them, I found the rest of the fic and finished writing it. I hope you all like it! <3

_“Now, where were we?” Penny asks._

_“The dragon is also a boy!” Her daughter says excitedly._

_“And he has another secret!” Her son says just as excitedly._

_“Oh, right….”_

 

Simon waited several weeks before telling Baz his other secret. Baz waited patiently because he didn’t want to make Simon uncomfortable, but he was also curious about what it could be. What else could Simon possibly be hiding? Baz wondered.

It took a bit of time for Baz to get used to the fact that Simon could turn into a boy anytime that he wanted. He even thought it might have been a dream when he woke up the next morning, tucked under the dragon’s wing like usual. It wasn’t until the dragon said that he was surprised that he hadn’t run away during the night that Baz realized it was real. The dragon – Simon – was also human somehow. And Baz had a massive crush on him.

He didn’t tell Simon this of course. What would he have thought of him if he had? Would he hate him?

 

_“Is that how Uncle Baz felt when they were at Watford? Was he afraid that Uncle Simon would hate him?” Penny’s son asks._

_“Oh, honey. It is so difficult to explain what exactly was going through Baz’ head back then.”_

_“Only because you didn’t know me that well,” a voice says at the bedroom door._

_“Or maybe because you hated me,” another voice says, coming in behind the first._

_“I thought you two went home,” Penny says to her friends as they step into the room._

_“We wanted to stay for the story,” Baz says with a shrug, smiling at the two children._

_“We were told that there was a new one about us where I was an actual dragon.” Simon says, genuinely excited in a way that makes Baz smile affectionately at him._

_“Fine. You can stay.”_

_“Yay,” the two children cheered in unison as Baz and Simon leaned against the wall together, hands interlocked._

 

Whenever Simon changed into a human now, Baz always made sure to leave the cave and waited until Simon had put on some clothes before he went back in. He couldn’t risk another incident like the first time.

Simon, who had not grown up around other humans, still didn’t completely understand the need for clothing, but he wore them to make Baz comfortable. He also found that they kept him warmer when he went outside, and he even began wearing one of Baz’ extra shirts sometimes.

“So, what was your other secret?” Baz asked one day as they sat together outside of the cave as they watched the sun begin to set.

_I don’t know if you’re ready for that yet._

“What if I told you a secret about me first?”

_I don’t want to trade a secret for a secret. I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell me something about yourself._

“It doesn’t have to be a trade then. I want to tell you this about me. The reason I ended up at this cave with you.”

_I would love to hear more about you, but you don’t have to tell me unless you really want to._

“I do,” Baz said, looking at Simon curiously, amazed at how kind he always was.

_Okay_ , Simon said with a nod of his head.

Baz looked down at his hands in his lap as he began talking. “I came out to my family, and they took it less than…well, let’s just say that they didn’t take it well at all. My father wouldn’t even look at me. He couldn’t believe that his son was interested in other boys.”

_Interested…you mean, you love boys?_

“Yeah, I suppose that’s one way of putting it.”

_Why does it matter?_

“It shouldn’t but, well, there are still people stuck in their ways.” Baz shook his head, thinking about his parents, before he continued. “Anyway, that night, I packed a few of my things, and I took off. It was dark, and I left the main roads and somehow, I ended up here.”

Simon is quiet, thinking about all of this.

“Did I–Did I make you uncomfortable?” Baz asks after a few minutes, finally chancing a look at the other boy.

_No. I just, I didn’t know that it was a big deal to like other boys. I think that I do, too._

“Really?”

_Yeah. Or maybe it’s just one boy_ , he added quietly.

“Oh.”

_Where are you going?_ Simon asked as Baz suddenly stood up and turned away from.

“I just need some air. I’ll be back.”

Baz doesn’t return until after the sun goes down, and neither of them said anything as they settled in for the night.

 

_“Mommy what happened?” Penny’s daughter asks. “Why aren’t they talking?”_

_“Because sometimes, Simon and Baz are bad at communicating with each other. Especially when it comes to their feelings.” She looks pointedly at the two men standing by the door._

_“They should just talk already!” The little boy exclaims._

_“I agree. Now, let’s get back to the story.”_

 

The next morning, neither of them spoke to each other. Simon even stayed in dragon form and didn’t leave the cave at all while Baz went outside and sat under the tree.

Simon wasn’t sure what he had done wrong, but he knew that it wouldn’t be long before Baz took off. He could feel it in how distant Baz was being. He had slept as far away from Simon as he could get inside the cave last night, and he left as soon as we woke that morning. Simon was frustrated by it and by the fact that he couldn’t understand what he had done wrong. Was Baz angry at him for liking him? Did he even know that it was him that Simon was talking about?

Baz, on the other hand, was angry with himself. He was mad at himself for falling for this half-dragon, half-human. Why did he have to let his heart take the lead? Why had he gotten his hopes up when Simon said that he was also attracted to boys? He should have just kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t face Simon, not when he knew that the other boy liked someone else. Who even was this other person?

Later that afternoon, Simon decided to talk to Baz. He had to understand what was going on before he took off. He didn’t want things to end like this.

_Are you going to leave soon?_ Simon asked as he stepped out of the cave in his human form, a pair of Baz’ pants hanging low on his hips.

“I’m not sure.” It felt like a lie on Baz’ tongue, but he didn’t want to admit that that was exactly what he had been planning on doing.

_I want to apologize first._

“For what?” Baz asked, not looking up at Simon as he played with a blade of grass.

_For weirding you out. I know that you don’t feel the same. I shouldn’t have put that on you when you told me your secret. I’m sorry._ Simon’s words all came out in a rush, a blush settling in on his cheeks.

“Wait. Felt the same about what?” Baz asked, finally looking up, his eyebrows scrunched together.

_Nothing. It doesn’t matter._

“Yes, it does. It matters to me.” Baz stands up and takes a step towards Simon.

_I can’t._ He hated how much it hurt him to say these words. _Not right now._

“Okay.”

_Do you want to see my other secret?_ Simon asked him.

“Only if you want to show me.” Baz felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth at the way that Simon’s face lit up.

Simon nodded before turning away and removing his pants and changing back into his dragon form. He could do this in either form, but it was always easier to do it as a dragon.

Baz watched as the shimmering in the air stopped right before it started pulsing around Simon. He watched as Simon began to shrink, turning into a smaller dragon.

Simon stretched his wings before flying up. He loved flying, but it wasn’t something that he got to do much in his full form as it attracted too much attention from all of those people who didn’t like him, who were afraid of him. But now, like this, he could fly.

Baz watched in amazement as Simon flew around as a pocket-sized dragon. He flew over to the cave and back to the tree as Baz stood still and quiet. As Simon flew closer to him, Baz held out his hand for him to land on. Baz couldn’t believe how small he was, barely the length of his hand. Simon wrapped his tail around Baz’ thumb for a moment in a kind of strange embrace before walking up the length of Baz’ arm until he was sat upon his shoulder.

He buried his head in Baz long hair, and Baz smiled to himself, glad that Simon couldn’t see him from that angle. Even though it hurt knowing that Simon liked someone else, it didn’t mean that he could suddenly stop feeling the way that he did about him.

_I like you._

“What?” Baz whispered. He was almost certain that he had imagined those words.

_I’m sorry that I weirded you out yesterday when I told you that I liked someone, but I wanted you to know that it was you. I understand that you want to leave, but I needed you to know that._

“You’re serious?” Baz asked, turning to look at the miniature dragon on his shoulder.

_Yes._

“Will you–will you turn back into your full form, your full human form, I mean.”

_Sure._

Baz watched as Simon flew back to the ground, becoming the big dragon once more as he did, but he turned away as Simon changed back into a human, waiting until he had some pants on to look at him again.

_I’m dressed now._

“Thank you,” Baz said, turning back around. He couldn’t help the way that his eyes dragged along Simon’s body, taking in his shining skin again. This was something that only he was allowed to see, and he would never admit that he loved that or that it was possible that he loved this person standing in front of him. He loved everything about him.

“I like you, too,” Baz said after a while. It was difficult for him to admit aloud because he was still afraid that Simon would reject him, but he had to take a chance.

Simon’s eyes widened with surprise. _Then, why were you going to leave?_ He asked the boy.

“I thought that you liked someone else. I was jealous.”

_Oh. There’s no one else. There’s just you._

Smiling at the golden boy, Baz crossed the distance between them and kissed him.

“I think that I would like to stay here a little while longer,” Baz said quietly as he pulled away. “If that’s alright with you.”

_You are welcome to stay for as long as you want._

So, Baz did. He stayed with the dragon, and a few days later, when another child happened upon the cave, Baz stayed to help Simon take care of them. He knew that he couldn’t stay in that cave forever, but he also knew that he didn’t want to leave Simon. They would have to figure something out eventually, but for now, they were content just being together.

Baz even found that he liked helping these other lost and wondering children. It was something that he hoped to continue doing some day once he left this cave. He only wondered whether there was a possibility that Simon would be there beside him when he did.

_“Alright, time for bed,” Penny says, standing up._

_“Wait, that’s it?” Her son asks._

_“Yeah,” her daughter agrees. “Don’t they get to live happily ever after?”_

_“That isn’t how real life works, my loves. There isn’t a happily ever after. Life goes on, but it won’t all be good.”_

_“But it’s a story,” her daughter whined. “There has to be an ending.”_

_Penny thinks about it for a moment before responding. “Well, that parts up to you. You both get to choose your own endings. It can turn out however you want.”_

_“So, Baz can turn into a dragon, too??” The girl asks excitedly. “And they can take care of children together now?”_

_“Yes, if that is how you want it to happen.”_

_“But what if Simon could hide his tail and wings?” The little boy asks, taking the opposite route. “Couldn’t they live in the real world together?”_

_“Yes, that is a possibility,” Penny says, smiling at the happy endings that her children have given the story._

_“They could get married!” The girl exclaims. “And have their own kids!”_

_“It could all happen if that is how you imagine it. But now it is time you for you two to get some sleep.” If  she doesn’t stop them now, they’ll never go to bed. “You can think about it in the morning. Uncle Baz and Uncle Simon have to get home now.”_

_Penny turns to look at her two friends and finds that Simon has already started to drift asleep with his head leaning on Baz’ shoulder. Baz presses a soft kiss into Simon’s hair before nudging him awake._

_“It’s time to go home, love,” Baz tells him._

_Penny watches them leave together, glad that her two friends were able to get through everything that life has thrown at them and that they made it out together. It wasn’t a fairytale love, but it was a great love._

**Author's Note:**

> Part two will come eventually. I've written some of it, and I will try to finish it sometime this week!


End file.
